Saturday, May 1, 2010

Going to my grandparents' farm is always a special treat. Outside we have the chance to experience the wonders of nature with acres and acres to explore, rocks to climb, a winding, mesmerizing creek to splash in and garden full of treats. Inside their home, the kitchen is always full of bustle as grandma whips up sweet rolls, cookies and a rainbow of canned produce and jams.

I have so many wonderful childhood memories of visiting my grandparents and spending summer days watching them and learning their tricks. They grew up in a vastly different time, when TVs and computers did not exist and as children they learned to love nature and its marvels and cherish time together as a family. They made sure to engage their grandchildren in similar experiences. When we visited them we did not sit in front of the TV but instead participated in life-enriching activities, played games and lived in tune with nature.

"When you're sharing nature with a child, you'll find that even a short walk through your backyard will yield a crop of fresh discoveries and questions. Start a tradition of asking, "I wonder what's going on outdoors today?" - Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars by Sharon Lovejoy

Not all grandparents (or parents) live on a farm, but that doesn't mean that they can't also inspire and create a fun-filled environment for children to explore. Sharon Lovejoy's newest book, Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars: Grandma's Bag of Tricks is a treasure trove of wonderful ideas, crafts, cooking and gardening activities and the perfect resource to use with young children. The whimsical and beautifully illustrated book is divided into several interesting sections:

The Neighborhood Naturalist (includes a mudpie recipe for attracting butterflies and instructions to make a moon phase flip book)

Kids in the Kitchen (yummy recipes like Summer Berry Soup and how to make a solar oven)

Kids in the Garden (tips on container gardening, herbs, engraving pumpkins and planting a bale garden)

Preparing Camp Granny (inspiring imaginative play and building child friendly places with fairy houses, faerie mailboxes, book baskets and more)

Rainy Day Activities (crafting ideas like rain sticks, toad cottages and making a worm hotel)

I'm always on the lookout for books with fun activities, and I highly recommend this one. Parents and others involved in bringing up a child -- do not discount this book! While the book is geared toward grandmothers, the ideas and eco-friendly projects presented by Lovejoy aren't just for grandparents. I accidentally left my copy at the dentist office and the staff members enjoyed browsing through the imaginative book and thought it was simply delightful. In addition to all the fun activities, Lovejoy has sprinkled inspiring quotes and sidebar tips throughout the book. All the photos and illustrations really motivate - I've been pouring over the pages now for a week and can't wait to try out all the activities for all seasons with my kids. We already tried the leaf rubbing craft. Grandma will need to fight me if she wants to pry this book out of my hands!

Sharon Lovejoy is an award-winning author/illustrator and gardening expert and has written several well-received books including Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children and Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener. She is currently on tour and has recently joined together with Lands' End in promoting their "Way to Grow: Plant a Seed, Make a Difference" initiative. Next weekend, on May 8th she will be in Madison, Wisconsin. Kids can decorate pots, plant sunflowers, learn about the wonder of worms through hands-on exploration and meet Sharon Lovejoy. (She's also signing books). Here are more event details:

Lands' End Way to Grow Event with author Sharon LovejoySaturday, May 811 a.m. until 3 p.m.Lands’ End Shop at Sears in West Towne Mall53 West Towne MallMadison, WI

To enter, leave a comment relevant to this post or tell me your favorite gardening or nature activity for kids.

• For contact purposes, if you are a non-blogger or your email is not accessible in your blog profile, please leave a valid email address within the comment section.• Contest is open to US• Contest ends on Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 11:59 PM CST.• Winner will be chosen at random and sent an email notification.

Three ways to gain extra entries (Maximum total entries is 4; please leave a separate comment for each entry):1st extra entry: Blog about this contest then post your link in the comment section.2nd extra entry: Follow me on twitter (iambrimful) and tweet about the contest.3rd extra entry: Follow Me! or subscribe by email or RSS readerLands' End together with Workman Publishers provided me with a copy of Lovejoy's book and sent me a gift card to thank me for helping promote the Way to Grow initiative. I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

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comments:

I spent a lot of time on my grandparents' farm growing up as well. This book sounds like such fun. Too many children spend all their time on indoor activities like video games. My favorite nature activity is growing flowers from seeds. My favorite to grow is Dwarf French Marigolds that are multi-colored.

We planted a mystery garden this year. My three year old was so over zealous that I could not keep him under control. He was throwing, dumping, and burying seeds all over the garden. We will see what we have when it starts to come up I guess.

I like showing kids how to start gardening from the beginning. We plant seeds in plastic cups, until they are big enough to plant in the garden. Then the summer is watching them grow, and taking care of them.twoofakind12@yahoo.com

My favorite thing to do with my kids is visit the Sierra foothills here in CA with my family. Although our kids are young, they already love visiting the streams, fields, and bridges that are so beautiful around here. Yesterday we went to an old wooden covered bridge for them to clomp around in and they loved it. Just getting out there and seeing them enjoy nature is fun!

Although we live in the city, we are fortunate to have Metroparks available which offer all kinds of free nature activities - nature walks, an annual Bug Fest, an annual Fishing Derby, mapling in February/March. Our favorite nature activities usually revolve around some of the Metroparks' activities! This book looks as though it would be a great inspiration for more creative ideas for the bebes and for the grandbebes! Thanks for the chance to win!

My son loves flowers and just got me a hanging basket for Mother's Day. He is anxious to plant our vegetable garden and will want to check it multiple times a day to see if there are any changes. Last year I thought that excitement might wear off, but it never did. Would love to have this activity book.

We collect the seeds from our flowers at the end of summer. we store them in a brown bag in the basement all winter and when spring comes, the kids and I take them outside and plant the seeds in our flower beds. The little one anxiously wait for the flowers to sprout.

About Me

Brimful Curiosities is a mom blog/book blog featuring reviews and posts on children's books, music, educational products, toys and more. It's home to the weekly "Full to the Brim" Kid's Book Giveaway List. Occasionally it includes non-children related product and book reviews and personal postings.